Brilliant

A CLEVER suitcase trick has gone viral on TikTok which will get you two checked suitcases for the price of one.

Travellers have called it a huge “new life hack.”

For those looking to save on pesky baggage fees, TikTok may have just found the answer.

A user has posted a video to the social media site giving holidaymakers a sneaky travel hack for those planning on bringing back a mountain of holiday souvenirs and shopping.

The viral trick involves placing a large packed suitcase inside an empty one.

Zip them both up, check them into hold luggage and you’ve managed to take away two bags for the price of one.

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Travellers can then fill the empty suitcases with a host of holiday purchases and bring the two bags back on the return flight, ideal for those heading on long-distance trips.

You will obviously need to pay for both suitcases on your return, but you’ll have scrimped some cash on the outbound flight.

It also means you won’t need to buy an extra suitcase during your trip if you already had spares at home.

However, an even handier hack has emerged online for those looking to max out their holiday packing.

Pop a smaller packed suitcase inside a large suitcase for your outbound flight.

On the return, you can check in the larger suitcases filled to the brim with new purchases and souvenirs, and keep the smaller bag as your free carry- on bag.

The result is only having to pay for one checked bag on each flight.

Fans of the popular hack poured praise on the social media platform.

“This is absolutely freakin’ brilliant,” wrote one user.

Another added: “Doing this for years, saves you space in the big suitcase and gives you extra space once you use it as a carry-on the way back.”

“This is a great idea because I have about 55 suitcases from each time I had to buy an extra one,” said another.

Another said: “Oh my god new life hack unlocked.”

A savvy packing hack has also been doing the rounds on social media, helping shoppers whittle down their wardrobe into just nine essential items.

The trick means you can save on baggage fees by only bringing one free hand luggage bag.

The gripping new show has been dubbed “absolutely brilliant” by viewers

Viewers watching BBC’s newest psychological thriller The Rapture were all left saying the same thing.

Adapted from Liz Jensen’s bestselling novel, the show follows a teenager who has been accused of killing her mum, and who claims to be able to predict natural disasters.

The Rapture boasts a stellar cast including Ruth Madeley, India Amarteifio, Gavin and Stacey‘s Ruth Jones, The History Boys’ Stephen Campbell Moore, Lisa Palfrey from Sex Education and Siena Kelly from Black Mirror.

Set in a heatwave, it follows psychologist Dr Gabs Fox (Ruth Madeley), who, after a life-altering car accident killed her husband and left her paralysed, starts a new job at a psychiatric hospital where she is assigned 17-year-old inmate Bethany Krall (India Amarteifio).

Two years before, Bethany was sectioned for the brutal murder of her mother, Carys Krall. The case shocked the nation, not least because Bethany’s father, Leonard Krall, is the charismatic leader of the Faith Way, a spiritual movement with millions of online followers.

Bethany seems to know private details about Gabs’ life and insists she can see visions of the future, which she communicates through disturbing sketches of disasters: storms, fires and floods. Bethany’s nurse Rafiq insists Bethany’s predictions always come true, but Gabs is sceptical, determined to find a clinical explanation.

As the heat intensifies, Gabs begins to notice unsettling connections between Bethany’s prophetic drawings and the world outside, forcing Gabs to re-examine her assumptions about Bethany’s innocence.

Reacting to the first episode, fans had a lot to say. One person declared on Facebook: “Absolutely brilliant series I blitzed it in one sitting it was so enthralling.” Another added: “Binge watching it, so far so good.” A third chimed in: “Enjoying it so far.”

Lindsay Salt, director of BBC Drama, previously remarked on the series: “This thriller brings Liz Jensen’s compelling novel to life with a truly talented cast led by the brilliant Ruth Madeley and India Amarteifio.

“The Rapture features two complicated and captivating characters, blended with a story of climate change, to create a gripping narrative and I can’t wait for BBC viewers to see it.”

“The Rapture is a hugely powerful and entertaining female-led drama, which is charged with timely, important and deeply resonant themes,” said Rebecca Durbin, series executive producer for Mammoth Screen.

The Rapture airs on BBC One and iPlayer from 9pm on Sunday, July 26.

Netflix has just released a trailer for a brand new period drama, but some are not impressed

Netflix trailer for a remake of a “brilliant” Sam Neill film has left some fans fearing the worst.

Sumptuous six-part period drama My Brilliant Career will be launching globally on Netflix next month and takes its cue from Australian author Miles Franklin’s 1901 classic novel of the same name, reports the Express.

The autobiographical book follows Sybylla (played by Philippa Northeast) as she rails against her family’s wishes to marry and instead pursues her dreams of becoming a published author.

My Brilliant Career also stars Pride and Prejudice icon Anna Chancellor, Genevieve O’Reilly from Andor, and Slow Horses actor Christopher Chung.

Netflix recently shared a trailer from the tongue-in-cheek show that sees Sybylla pushing back against society as she daydreams, writes and spends time with the swoon-worthy Harry (Chung).

The new adaptation comes after the beloved 1979 film version of My Brilliant Career starring Judy Davis as Sybylla and Sam Neill as Harry.

Many fans of the 1979 movie shared their thoughts about the forthcoming iteration of My Brilliant Career on YouTube.

One person said: “Nice try Netflix, but the original movie version with a young Judy Davis portrayed this brilliant novel written in 1901 Australia with way more authentic adolescent sass and much less millennial pop star angst.”

A second wrote: “I’m scared this new one will butcher a beloved story, like ’Anne with an E’ did for me.”

A third commented: “Nothing beats Julie Davis and Sam Neill. I wish that remakes would stop being made unless you’re going to adhere to the original story.”

However, others hit back at the detractors as one person noted: “The original will always have its place. This is just another take on it. Like all the other classic remakes. You don’t need to watch it if it’s not your cup of tea.”

Someone else said: “This series going adding more details that Miles Franklin wrote [sic].”

A third wrote: “I look forward to this. I so enjoyed the ’79 version with Judy Davis…this looks to be just as entertaining. ”

A fourth compared it to many other costume dramas: “This is like if they combined every single period piece into one movie it’s got little women, pride and prejudice, Bridgerton etc. I don’t know how they managed to fit every single trope into one.”

Yet another added: “Looks great. Loved the 1979 adaptation and not gonna miss this one.”

My Brilliant Career has been adapted numerous times, with the 1979 movie only being the first one.

The story was also adapted for the stage in a 2020 play and later turned into a musical in 2024.

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This lets members watch live and on-demand TV content without a satellite dish or aerial and includes hit shows like Stranger Things and The Last of Us.

Netflix’s TV series is just another retelling of the well-loved story of following one’s heart over the strict rules of society.

Treasured star Neill died aged 78 from pneumonia on July 16. His career spanned back to the 1970s and some of his biggest roles include Jurassic Park, Peaky Blinders, ITV’s Tutankhamun, and Event Horizon, among many others.

My Brilliant Career will be released on Netflix on August 13

A wartime science fiction thriller is available on BBC iPlayer and viewers are hooked

A World War I drama hailed as “brilliant” by viewers is available to stream now.

The Sentinels, an eight-part French wartime sci-fi series from STUDIOCANAL, has been snapped up by the BBC and can currently be viewed on BBC iPlayer.

Starring Louis Peres, the series was drawn from the graphic novels Les Sentinelles by Xavier Dorison and Enrique Breccia and is billed as an “adrenaline-drenched steampunk-style thriller”.

It follows a soldier, played by Louis, who who has been injected with a super serum and joins an elite unit on a mission to end the fighting.

“At the outbreak of World War I, Gabriel Ferraud – a gravely wounded soldier – is recruited into a top-secret French military programme designed to create the ultimate weapon: enhanced humans,” said a synopsis.

“After being injected with a mysterious serum, Gabriel gains extraordinary strength, speed, and resilience. He joins an elite unit known as the Sentinels – augmented soldiers forged for the front lines.”

However, as the conflict goes on, Gabriel discovers “a terrifying truth”.

“The Sentinels is a fully immersive war drama, drenched in adrenaline,” said Nick Lee, head of BBC programme acquisition. “Prepare for something totally different and unforgivingly entertaining.”

The series has won over viewers, with one posting on IMDb.com: “If you like superheroes (antiheroes), war movies and aren’t afraid of some action with a touch of grim dark sci-fi in a first world setting… then you’ll love this!”

Another wrote on review site Rotten Tomatoes: “This is absolutely brilliant if you’re into war dramas, thrillers and superheroes. The characters are well developed, both protagonists and antagonists – there’s three main storylines which are all equally compelling, and the action set pieces are entertaining bringing all the gritty brutality of fighting on the Western Front combined with the dirty combat. All in all, something different to the usual.”

“I thought this show absolutely ruled and hope to see more seasons,” another viewer commented on Reddit.

“This was a really great watch,” agreed somebody else. “Loved the costume design, and the action wasn’t cringy and badly done like a lot of shows.”

The Sentinels is available on BBC iPlayer.

Walk through sunflowers in Gower

At the westernmost tip of the Gower peninsula, Rhossili Bay is a gloriously wide sweep of sand, backed by dunes and licked with waves perfect for bodyboarding and surfing. Wild ponies graze on the southern headland, while walkers time their trip across to the serpent-like Worm’s Head promontory to not get cut off by the tide.

In summer there’s an added draw: 100,000 sunflowers. A 20-minute walk from the Worm’s Head National Trust car park, the flowers hit their peak from late July into August. Across the site there are pick-your-own fields, a trail to follow between wooden animal structures and giant swings (for the photo ops as much as the fun).
Entry to the sunflowers £4 weekdays, £4.50 weekends, rhossilisunflowers.co.uk

Fabulous forest play in Dorset

Deep in the woods at Moors Valley country park are giant ant nests and snake pits, huge hawks and spiders, all stars of Forestry England’s play trail. It wiggles for a mile through the trees with tunnels to crawl through, slides to whiz down and crocodile-shaped balancing beams. There’s also the inclusive beehive with double-width slide and quiet areas for those requiring less stimulation.

New for this year is Woodland Rhapsody, a musical play structure with gravel-filled rain makers and drums to bang, and the Timber area, which tells the story of a forester’s job, with pulleys to sort seeds, timber tangles to climb and a big wooden harvester with steering wheel and levers to operate.
Free (car parking charges apply), moors-valley.co.uk

A wine (and wildlife) hike in the Surrey Hills

Wine hikes, with scenic trails linking vineyards, are often associated with mainland Europe, but here’s a great English alternative, using the North Downs Way.

Start at Albury Vineyard (take the 32 bus from Guildford train station), where the self-guided wildlife walk through the vines passes bat and barn owl boxes, bug hotels, beehives, wildflower meadows and a pond. It’s then a seven-mile stomp to Denbies Wine Estate to board the vineyard “train”, the carriages hooked up to the back of a Land Rover. Other shorter walking loops start and end at Denbies Estate, passing artist James Tunnard’s wavy wooden seat, Radius, and up Denbies Hillside, which is alive with butterflies and wild orchids – the perfect picnic spot.
Albury Vineyard wildlife walk: free (suggested donation £10 a group to Surrey Wildlife Trust), alburyvineyard.com. Denbies vineyard train tour: £12.50 adults, £6.95 children, denbies.co.uk

Spot dolphins in the Moray Firth

About 200 bottlenose dolphins live in the waters north of Inverness, the most northerly colony in the world. They are a hardy bunch, hunting and swimming around the Moray Firth and beyond all year, but sightings of them throwing fish and leaping from the water are more frequent in the summer months.

The Scottish Dolphin Centre at Spey Bay is not only a good place to get the binoculars out (there are plenty to borrow – keep an eye out for ospreys, seals and otters, too), but also a hub of marine learning. Housed in a former 18th-century fishing station, there are tours of the old ice house, an interactive dolphin exhibition with live wildlife cameras, plus river rambles and nature-themed holiday clubs during the Scottish school summer holidays.
Free, holiday clubs £1.50-£3 per child, dolphincentre.whales.org

Celebrate David Hockney in West Yorkshire

The late David Hockney’s oil painting Salts Mill depicted the building’s Victorian facade glowing orange and the Yorkshire hillsides glinting emerald green. It was a present for Jonathan Silver, Hockney’s friend, who transformed this former textile mill into a cultural hub, and it hangs in the entrance to the building.

Upstairs there are more of Hockney’s works in the 20 Flowers for 2025 and Some Bigger Pictures exhibition, which runs until January 2027. It’s a free, inspiring space – perhaps pick up a sketch book and paints in the shop afterwards. Plus there are burgers and pizzas at Salts Diner for lunch, the Peace Museum (also inside the mill) to potter around, and a lovely walk along the canal to Bingley.
Free, saltsmill.org.uk

Visit the Quentin Blake centre in London

Revered illustrator Quentin Blake has been championing a museum of his craft for 20 years, and in June, aged 93, he opened the Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration, a permanent home for the art form in an 18th-century waterworks in Clerkenwell. Blake is most famous for his scribbly style, as seen in his illustrations for Roald Dahl’s stories, but all kinds of work is celebrated here, from comics to graphic murals. Plenty is free to wander: a library in the former Engine House, a cafe in the Boiler House, as well as the gardens.

Paid exhibitions delve into Blake’s extensive archive and spotlight contemporary illustrators. Budding artists can try out fabric painting and printmaking at the Creative Studio during the summer holidays (Wednesdays, 10.30am-12.30pm).
Exhibition: £15 adults, £6 children, under-5s free, family tickets from £23 (1 adult + 3 children), qbcentre.org.uk

Count butterflies on the Hampshire Downs

The wildlife charity Butterfly Conservation predicts it’s going to be a bumper summer, thanks in part to a massive migration of painted lady butterflies from Africa. Its Big Butterfly Count runs until 9 August – the world’s largest butterfly survey – and last year 125,000 citizen scientists each spent 15 minutes outside noting numbers of butterflies and moths.

The organisation’s Magdalen Hill Down nature reserve on a chalk hillside just outside Winchester would be a good place to count – 46 hectares of chalk grassland, wildflower meadows and woodland, which are home to butterflies such as the adonis blue, chalk hill blue and brown argus.
Free, butterfly-conservation.org

Monastic life on a Pembrokeshire island

The first monks arrived on Caldey Island off Pembrokeshire’s south coast in the sixth century. Today, the Cistercian order are as well known for their chocolate and lavender perfume-making as for their vow of nightly silence (with no unnecessary speech during the day). It’s 20 minutes by boat from Tenby to this peaceful escape, where paths wind through woodland and along cliffs to the working lighthouse, soft sands of Priory Beach and a chocolate and fudge kitchen.

This summer, there’s a new natural play area and the Monastic Story Hall, which charts the island’s history and explores monastic life, as well as highlighting the unique wildlife here, which includes red squirrels, hedgehogs, seals and Manx shearwaters.
Adults £24.95, children £12.95 (under-4s free), family (2 adults + 2 children) £64.95, caldeyislandwales.com

Watch history come to life in County Durham

Each summer, on Saturday evenings in Bishop Auckland, Boudicca battles against the Romans. Vikings invade, knights joust and a full-size steam locomotive chugs across a 7.5-acre stage as part of Kynren – An Epic Tale of England. With a 1,000-strong cast, the outdoor show whips through 2,000 years of history, and now has an equally dramatic daytime counterpart, Kynren – The Storied Lands.

The five daily shows offer a journey through time and legend, with immersive re-enactments and live-action storytelling, featuring swooping birds of prey, charging horses, ancient monsters from the deep, a Viking village and a maze-like Victorian imaginarium.
From £30 adults, £20 children, 18 July-12 September, kynren.com

A bat safari by punt in Cambridge

Bats might have their big moment at Halloween, but the best time to see them fluttering around is the height of summer, just after sunset. One of the most atmospheric ways is on a Bat Safari Punting tour along the River Cam. The trips take place every Friday and Saturday evening in summer – departure times vary depending on dusk. Run by the local wildlife trust (with 50% of ticket sales going towards its work), guides use bat detectors to listen for the clicks and squeaks from pipistrelle and Daubenton’s bats along the riverbanks of Grantchester Meadows. In late July and early August there’s a chance to see the mothers and pups in tandem flight in the night sky.
Family row for two £63, three £73, scudamores.com

Take a dip along the Thames

There has been talk of floating lidos and river swimming in London for years, and this summer a spot at Ham, in the west, became the capital’s first designated bathing water area on the Thames.

Elsewhere in London, Sea Lanes Canary Wharf opened a 50-metre six-lane pool in June, bobbing in Eden Dock and designed for swimming lengths, though over-8s who are strong swimmers are welcome. Plus, there’s a summer programme of free open-air cinema, mini golf and other fun around Canary Wharf for afterwards. For younger children, the free Royal Docks Summer Splash at Royal Victoria Dock has a paddling pool, deckchairs and sandpits.
Sea Lanes: pay-per swim £10, sealanescanarywharf.co.uk. Summer Splash: free, 24 July–16 August, royaldocks.london

Waterworld in Staffordshire

North-east of Birmingham, Cliff Lakes is part of a series of human-made lakes along the River Tame, formed from former gravel pits and sand quarries. Today, the tranquil waters are home to a host of activities: open water swimming lanes (popular with training triathletes), boating and wakeboarding, a paddleboarding school and the UK’s largest aqua park with floating assault courses. The newest challenge this summer is the X Tower, a 12-metre-tall inflatable with six slides – four with kickers to send thrill-seekers high into the air before splashdown (age 12 and over). There’s a dedicated kids park for younger water babies, while Aqua Chimp is a high ropes course suspended above the water.
£25pp (over-6s) including parking, wetsuit, aqua socks and buoyancy aid, clifflakes.co.uk

Henry Moore in London and Hertfordshire

Henry Moore and his wife, Irina, moved to rural Hertfordshire from London in 1940 after their home was damaged in the Blitz. For the next 46 years the sculptor worked at Hoglands, creating some of his best-known works. The farmhouse and outbuilding studios have been preserved as the Henry Moore Studio & Gardens, his huge works sitting, as he envisioned them, among the lawns, orchards and woodlands. This year, the Sheep Field Barn reopened as a gallery with hands-on spaces for messy monoprinting sessions and collaborative sculpture workshops.

Kew Gardens in London is having its own Moore moment, displaying 30 of his sculptures for Henry Moore: Monumental Nature (until 31 January 2027), with a family trail including prompts for sketching and games.
Henry Moore Studio & Gardens: £23 adults, £11 children, under-5s free, family tickets from £38, henry-moore.org. Kew Gardens: £24 adults, £2 children, under-4s free, kew.org

See osprey fledglings in Mid Wales

Ospreys disappeared from the UK in 1916, the victims of persecution and egg-collecting, but populations have been slowly recovering since the 1950s. In Wales there are now five breeding pairs that return each year to lay their eggs after wintering in west Africa. Telyn and Idris, one of these pairs, are now raising three chicks, which hatched at the end of May, at the Dyfi Osprey Project outside Machynlleth.

The centre’s YouTube channel has more than 20,000 subscribers following their progress. At the Cors Dyfi nature reserve, visitors get a front-row seat – the observatory tower less than 200 metres from the nest, and this summer those chicks will begin to fly, then learn to hunt for themselves.
Adults £8, children £4, dyfiospreyproject.com

Biking in Robin Hood country

Forestry England’s Sherwood Pines is an activity-filled corner of Sherwood Forest, north Nottinghamshire, more popular these days with mountain bikers than merry men. The 1,336-hectare (3,300-acre) woods has a network of trails for all abilities: advanced dirt jumps, single track downhills filled with berms and rollers, and the four-mile Maid Marion family loop for gentle off-road cycling (bike hire available). The new Pedal and Play trail allows the next generation of freeriders to learn on three loops of increasing skill, including one wide enough for adaptive bike users. King John’s Castle with its wobbly bridge, climbing tree and dungeon, is opposite for a post-pedal play.
Free (parking charges apply), forestryengland.uk/sherwood-pines

A tidal swimming pool tour on the Fife coast

In the early 20th century, tidal pools were all the rage as bathers discovered the health benefits of salt water. Up and down the coast rugged lidos were created, which fill with seawater at high tide, offering a sheltered swim away from waves and currents. The pools at St Monans, Pittenweem and Cellardyke sit on the Fife coast and have been revamped in recent years by community-driven projects. Start at boulder-edged St Monans; then at Pittenweem add a round of mini golf which funds the pool’s upkeep; and after finishing at Cellardyke have wood-fired pizza and coffee. This stretch of East Neuk is strung with pretty fishing villages (each with top-notch fish and chips) linked by the beautiful Fife Coastal Path.
Free, cellardyketidalpool.com, thewestbraes.co.uk, St Monans

Cosmic land art in Dumfries and Galloway

A 400m-long path lined with giant standing stones cuts north to south across the gently rolling hillsides of southern Scotland. This isn’t the mysterious work of Neolithic man, but of American visionary land artist Charles Jencks.

The pathway splits his Crawick Multiverse down the middle: on one side are the spiralling mounds of the Milky Way and Andromeda; on the other, a semicircle of trees, boulders and rusted scrap collide in jagged formations, representing the birth of a billion new stars as galaxies slam into each other. The 22-hectare site was an abandoned opencast mine, and Jencks turned tonnes of excavated earth and rock into an otherworldly sculptural installation.
Adults £8.50, children £5, crawickmultiverse.co.uk

Surf on a Blue Flag beach in North Shields

Each year the Blue Flag awards (or equivalent Scotland Beach awards) recognise the cleanest, safest, most environmentally well-managed stretches of coast in the UK. In 2026, 144 made the cut, from the gorgeous curve of Gyllyngvase Beach near Falmouth to the remote Sands of Breckon in Shetland.

Among them is the dune-backed, mile-long Tynemouth Longsands, the north-east’s year-round surf hub, 50 minutes from Newcastle on the metro. Both Longsands Surf School and Tynemouth Surf Co offer board hire and lessons for all ages, and in summer the swell is also dotted with kayakers and paddleboarders. Head to Longsands Fish Kitchen for fish and chips after.
Tynemouth Surf Co, kids’ lessons from £15 for 1.5 hours. Longsands Surf School, kids’ lessons from £22.50 for two hours.

Springwatch in County Fermanagh

BBC’s Springwatch had a new home this year with Chris Packham and Michaela Strachan broadcasting live for the first time in Northern Ireland at the National Trust’s Crom Estate. Set along the shores of Upper Lough Erne, this is one of Ireland’s most important nature conservation areas, with a tapestry of habitats: ancient oak-tangled woodlands, reed-fringed wetlands and flower-filled meadows.

The programme followed the estate’s red squirrels, pine martens, otters and birds of prey across its 810 hectares, and throughout the summer young wildlife watchers can borrow a tracker pack to find some of the animals themselves. For older children there are guided canoeing sessions on the lough (over-12s), or hire a rowing boat for all the family to mess about on the water.
Adults £9.50, children £4.75 (under-5s free), nationaltrust.org.uk

Thrills and red squirrels in the Cairngorms

The Cairngorms national park is great for outdoor adventures of all kinds. Head to the Landmark Forest Adventure Park near Carrbridge for action-packed attractions from a high-ropes course to a bouncy aerial net challenge, treetop trails, a water raft ride and a 10-metre climbing wall. Away from the high-tempo thrills, spot red squirrels among the Scots pines and climb the 105 steps of the forest tower to survey the Highland scenery through the telescope at the top.
Adults from £31, children from £29 (under-3s free), landmarkpark.co.uk

Booming Hans Zimmer-style cinematic music reaches a crescendo, shaking my bones. Two turquoise macaws swoop within an inch of my hair and join a sky filled with nearly 250 birds. Hawks, kites, pelicans, and an owl soar and swoop around a pagan-looking wooden circle. Peacocks fuss at the makeshift river below, coaxed by two actors telling the story of humans’ relationship with nature. Grey clouds roll in, dark with rain. After all, we are risking an open-air performance in north-east England. I’m at a preview of Kynren: the Storied Lands, the latest gloriously unrestrained project in the market town of Bishop Auckland, 12 miles south of Durham.

I grew up near Bishop Auckland, which was once an important coal-mining and railway town. Last time I was here, its centre was dominated by discount stores. If, in 2003, you’d told teenage me that the high street would become an ode to art, history and culture, I would have laughed. Well, I would have grunted and turned up the Nu metal on my MP3 player.

This madcap renaissance is down to one couple. In 2012, investment banker Jonathan Ruffer rescued Francisco de Zurbarán’s celebrated series Jacob and His Twelve Sons from the sale of Auckland Palace. Needing somewhere to house the paintings, he ended up buying Auckland Palace too. He and his wife Jane Ruffer could have followed centuries of previous owners, closed the doors and kept the paintings to themselves. Instead, they set up a charity and opened up the palace and its beautiful gardens to the public. Thus began the complete renovation of Bishop Auckland.

The palace itself is a vision of grand, gothic architecture dating from the late 12th century. In St Peter’s chapel, the stone archways and a painted wooden ceiling make you feel as if you have stepped into the middle ages. The lifesized Zurbarán paintings remain on the dining room walls as a stream of visitors peruse the preserved stately rooms, guided by volunteer attendants.

“We employ 201 staff,” says Harry Sinclair, public relations officer at the Ruffers’ Auckland Project, as he guides us through the estate. “Around 80% come from a 10-mile radius, so we’re very much leading the circular economy. It’s about regenerating the town through its culture and heritage.”

After procuring the palace, the project grew arms and legs, becoming the Auckland Project, a regeneration charity dedicated to remodelling Bishop Auckland. As well as running the palace and gardens, the initiative built two art galleries and a lookout tower, and preserved a local heritage railway and Roman fort.

The galleries – one dedicated to mining art from County Durham, the other to the golden age of Spanish art – are not the ramshackle, fossil-packed local museums of my childhood school trips, but sleek galleries with ink-black walls and , boasting works by El Greco and Velázquez. Back outside, the drizzle clinging to my skin brings me back to Earth, but the striking viewing tower dominating the centre like the skeleton of a cathedral is another sight I never thought I’d see in Bishop Auckland. “Altogether we call it a slightly bonkers day out,” says Sinclair.

He tells me about the 59-bedroom hotel the project is building on the market place. He says it should increase footfall and dwell time in the town centre, with 1.5 million visitors expected each year from 2029. The hotel could create up to 95 jobs. There are already self-catering cottages in a neat line outside Auckland Palace and boutique accommodation at the Park Head Hotel.

But most ambitious of all is the jaw-dropping Kynren project. In 2013, the Ruffers bought Flatts Farm – about 100 hectares (250 acres) outside Bishop Auckland – and every summer since 2016, have hosted a glorious night show telling 2,000 years of English history to audiences of up to 8,000 people. More than 1,000 local volunteers work to create an extravaganza with horseback cavalry, sword fighting, working steam locomotives and boats gliding across a human-made lake, culminating in a dazzling firework display.

And next week, Kynren: the Storied Lands is opening during the day, too, as a live-show theme park for the first time. The arena, where my sneak peek at the new Lost Feather show takes place, is impressive. Huge wooden branches are stacked haphazardly into a circular nest so convincing I expect an eagle chick the size of a bus to emerge. During the show, birds pop out of hidden doors above the audience and swoop overhead, coaxed by handlers in medieval-style tunics.

It doesn’t always go to plan. One kestrel flies off into the nearby forest, and a tawny owl refuses to perform; its wide yellow eyes staring out at an audience delighted by its misbehaviour. Each mishap only adds to the joy of the experience. “That’s the beauty of live performance,” Anna Warnecke, CEO of Kynren, says. “There’s an electric sense of adrenaline that you don’t get from watching the same thing on a screen.” She’s right. By the end of the show, we’re holding a collective breath and there’s heartfelt applause and laughter when the kestrel returns from the distant woodland to the gloved arm of its handler.

The Lost Feather is one of six live shows running throughout the day until mid-September. The other five performances are in equally elaborate auditoriums. The Legend of the Wear (a re-telling of the local Lambton Worm myth) features live action water stunts on a lakeside stage. At Land of the Vikings you walk through a working village, interacting with actors to the sound of clanging metal from the forge before distant drumming signals the start of the show in the boat-like arena. Expect big beards, the clash of shields and axes, fire, and a lot of Viking roaring.

“We wanted to create a visitor destination,” Anna says. “People aren’t going to travel that far for a single 90-minute show like Kynren. So the daytime performances give people a reason to spend all day here.” There’s certainly plenty to stay for at Bishop Auckland these days. Apart from epic bird shows and recreated Viking raids, a fascinating palace, Spanish masterworks, a Roman fort, deer park and heritage railway line, the original Kynren spectacular still runs on Fridays and Saturdays between July and September.

This is not just a “slightly bonkers day out”; it’s a testament to unbridled ambition. I think even my sulking 16-year-old self would be secretly in awe of what Bishop Auckland has achieved.

The trip was provided by Visit County Durham. Kynren: the Storied Lands day show runs from 18 July until 12 September (£30 adult, £20 child, kynren.com). Auckland Palace (£20, children under 4 free, aucklandproject.org) is open 10.30am-4pm, Wednesday to Sunday and bank holiday Mondays

Shoppers can improve their travel days with the £20 B&M product that’s ‘brilliant’ for holidays

B&M is selling a ‘noise-cancelling’ travel product that could be ideal for noisy trains, planes, and buses. Popular for selling budget-friendly essentials, the bargain store could have a new crowd-pleaser for holidaymakers.

The retailer is selling £20 Bluetooth headphones that help shoppers “tune in and block the world out.” Showcasing the Goodmans Noise-Cancelling Metallic Bluetooth Headphones online, B&M told shoppers the headphones are a “brilliant companion for commutes, travel, or working from home.” In recent years, many travellers have started using noise-cancelling headphones to relax and block out background noise.

Prices often range from around £20 to £400 across different brands. However, you don’t have to pay hundreds. Shoppers might be just as happy with the £20 B&M option, which offers 30 hours of playtime when using Active Noise Cancelling and up to 18dB noise reduction, according to B&M. The headphones are available in four colours: blue, pink, black, and silver. The tech also has a two-year manufacturer’s warranty.

B&M’s full product description states: “Tune in and block the world out with the Goodmans Noise Cancelling Metallic Headphones. Bluetooth connectivity and Active Noise Cancelling (ANC) technology make these a brilliant companion for commutes, travel, or working from home.

“ANC reduces unwanted background noise by up to 18dB, so you can focus on your music, calls, or podcasts without interruptions. With 30 hours of playtime with ANC active, you won’t be reaching for a charger anytime soon.

“The metallic-coated earcups give a sleek, stylish finish, while the extra soft cushions and premium padding keep things comfortable over long listening sessions. Earcup controls put volume, ANC mode, track navigation, and power on/off right at your fingertips.”

For shoppers looking for more headphones, B&M also sells SONY Wireless Bluetooth Headphones, on sale for £30. The product description said: “Enjoy immersive and high-quality listening experiences with the WH-CH520 SONY Wireless Bluetooth Headphones.

“Featuring an adjustable headband, soft ear pads, and a lightweight design, the SONY Wireless Bluetooth Headphones can be connected to two devices simultaneously with Multipoint Connection plus Fast Pair and Swift Pair. You can even personalise your sound settings and EQ settings for a personalised listening experience with the Sony Headphones Connect app!”

The description continued: “With up to 50 hours of battery life, you can listen to all your favourite music without worrying about running out of charge, and if your battery is running low, a three-minute quick charge can give you 1.5 hours of listening time.

“The WH-CH520 also has easy button operations, and can even be controlled with your voice, and since connection is easy with Swift Pair and Fast pair, these Sony Headphones are ideal for everyday use.”

STAR Wars legend Michael Pennington has died aged 82.

The veteran stage and screen actor, who is best known for his role as Moff Jerjerrod in Return of the Jedi, is thought to have passed away, according to The Telegraph.

The cause of death is currently unknown.

Pennington’s other film credits include as Laertes in Hamlet (1969), alongside Anthony Hopkins, and as former Labour Party leader Michael Foot in The Iron Lady (2011), alongside Meryl Streep.

He also appeared in TV shows The Bill, The Tudors and Father Brown, as well as TV movie The Return of Sherlock Holmes.

His agent Lesley Duff told The Sun he had been living at Denville Hall, a care home for retired actors, in his later years.

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His good friend and fellow screen veteran Miriam Margolyes confirmed news of his passing in a post uploaded to her social media.

The Harry Potter actress emotionally penned: “Michael Pennington has died.

“An old friend, from Cambridge days, a very fine actor, brilliant, wise, clear. I am sad beyond measure.

“Bless your dear memory. Old chum.”

Replying to a comment underneath her post, the actress said: “It happened v recently at Denville Hall. I am sad to confirm.”

Tributes soon poured in following the sad news.

One devastated fan wrote: “May the force be with you brother.”

Another called the actor a “legend”, writing: “May he rest in peace.”

Pennington’s death comes just a year after his partner Author Prue Skene passed away aged 81.

As well as his screen work, Michael was an acclaimed figure in the theatre world, having appeared in scores of Shakespeare productions.

In 1986, Michael co-founded the English Shakespeare Company and was the joint artistic director until 1992.

He was also an associate artist of the Royal Shakespeare Company.

Pennington married actress Katharine Barker in 1964, and they welcomed a son, Mark, before they divorced in 1967.